Following woman’s sudden death, Cambridge Bay mourners hold funeral

RCMP investigation continues: no charges laid, no new information

Family members and friends of the late Trisha Maghagak will attend a funeral for her at 2 p.m. March 19, a Cambridge Bay Facebook announcement said.

Makhagak, a woman in her 30s, was found dead March 8 at her home in Cambridge Bay.

That triggered an investigation by the Nunavut RCMP major crimes unit and forensic identification service.

A March 10 RCMP press release said these investigators were assisting members of the Cambridge Bay detachment and the Office of the Chief Coroner.

RCMP major crimes investigators are often called in to help determine if a sudden death occurred by homicide, suicide or by accident.

But when contacted March 17, an RCMP spokesperson said they have no new information to share about the woman’s death and that their investigation is continuing.

Maghagak was a student at the Cambridge Bay campus of Nunavut Arctic College, where she studied Culinary Arts.

“Trisha was a great student that brought a humour and laughter to the program that made it fun for the other students and myself,” said her instructor, chef Andrew Poisson, in a Facebook post. “She will be greatly missed in the program and community.”

News of Maghagak’s death generated an outpouring of public grief across Canada among extended family members and friends, as well as prominent Nunavut leaders, who posted numerous public Facebook messages offering condolences.

“It’s Wednesday and today we pray for all those who have been carrying a heavy burden, lighten their load and comfort them as they prepare to come to closure…,” a Cambridge Bay man said March 19 in a public Facebook post.